This series of character development posts is loosely organized around different themes or facets of life, and are designed to offer role players and writers prompts to consider as they develop characters. In this fifth set we turn our minds’ eye to relationships, and how your character relates to others.

For those developing role-playing characters, relationships are an indicator toward how the character sees the world through interaction with others. As with the other question sets, consider the kind of people, places, and events your character is connected to, or repulsed from, work with your game master to put specific labels on them.

Friends and Allies

“A good friend will help you move, but a true friend will help you move a body.”
― Steven J. Daniels, Weeds in The Garden of Love

How close are you to your friends?

What do they know about you?

What do they not know about you?

What do you know, and not know, about your friends?

If there’s a significant gap in your knowledge about a friend, how do you feel about it?

Do you have any close friends?

If so, what are they like? Are they friendships of similarity, history, or contrast?
(Similarity – you share traits or experiences in common;History – you have known each other a long time;Contrast – opposites attract, and sometimes you shore up each others’ weaknesses)

What is the history of your relationship to each other?

Do you have a best friend whom you would protect with your reputation or your life?

If so, who are they and what caused you to feel so close to them?

What would have to happen for you to end this relationship?

Who is your most trusted ally?

Who do you trust, in general?

Who would you “move a body” for?

Who do you turn to when you’re in trouble?

Who might protect you?

Enemies and Injuries

Do you have any bitter enemies?

If so, who are they, what are they like, and what made them enemies?

Have you defeated them before?

How might these enemies seek to cause you problems in the future?

Are there any particular folk you detest?

Do you know them personally, or is there another reason for your animosity?

Name five traits or behaviors you hate about other folk.(The things that instantly set your teeth on edge, or provokes an immediate angry response.)

What are your blind spots? That is, how could you be, or have been, blackmailed, bested, or tricked?

What is the worst thing someone has done to you?

How did you react to it then, or later?

Who might be convinced to sell you out?

If someone crossed your path now, what would you do?

Contacts and Associations

How do you get along with others in the same field and/or work environment?

What valuable or important contacts do you have?

How did you come to know them?

Which folks or factions are you most loyal to?

Are you a member of any factions, guilds, or associations?

How involved are you in their activities? How committed? Do your levels of involvement and commitment differ?

Do you live with anyone?(house mates, roommates, relatives, friends, near-strangers, family friend, spouse, romantic interest)

Loves and Losses

What are your general reactions to folks who let you know they are available?

What serious relationships have you had, and what happened?

Where are they now?

Have you lost any loves?

If so, how did you handle the situation (short & long term)?

Who would miss you, should you go missing?

The Law

What is your status with local law-enforcement?

Do you have a record of cooperation or non-cooperation with authorities?

Do you have a file with local, national or international law enforcement?

Future Relationships

How do you think others generally perceive you?

Is your image consistent?

Do people generally see you in similar ways?

Do you deliberately present yourself differently in different situations?

This series of posts is loosely organized around different themes to offer role players and writers prompts to consider as they develop characters. In this fourth set we turn the camera’s eye on family relationships, and how your character relates to them.

For those developing role-playing characters, family also ties into the world around your character. When answering these questions, consider the kind of people, places, and events they connect to, then work with your game master to put specific labels on them.

Parents and Guardians

Do/did you know your parents?

Were you raised by them?

What are (or were) their names?

If not,

Why didn’t you know them?

Who raised / cared for you?

What did your parents or guardian(s) do for a living?

What was their standing in the community?

Did you stay in one area or move around a lot?

How did you get along with your parents / guardians?

How would they describe you?

Would their answers be different?

Siblings

Do you have any siblings?

How many and what were their names?

Were they biological or adoptive?

What role, if any, did it play a role in your sibling relationships?

What was your birth order? (first born, last born, middle, only child, adoptive)

What role, if any, did it play in your sibling relationships?

How did you get along with your siblings?

What was your family life like?

The emotional tenor? (positive, conflict, supportive, absent)

Draw out your family tree, including living and dead relatives.

Outline what you know about your family:

Locations, spouses, children, birth dates (perhaps compared to your own), schooling and any important incidents that only you and they might remember.

Are any or all your family still alive?

If so, where are they now?

Do you stay in touch with them or have you become estranged?

Do you love or hate one member of the family in particular?

Is any member of the family special to you in any way (perhaps, as a confidant, mentor, or arch-rival)?

Are there any famous or notorious members in the family (including you)?

If so, who are they and how did they earn their notoriety?

What is your relationship and emotional connection with them?

Do you have a famous or notorious ancestor?

If so, what did this person do to earn their notoriety?

What do people assume about you once your ancestry is revealed?

Do you try to live up to your ancestor’s reputation?

Spouse, Mates, and Significant Others

Have you started your own family?

Who did you start your family with?

You might complete the survey for your character’s mate, highlighting what your character does or doesn’t know, and how it would affect their relationship. (Significant opportunity for depth and/or a large rabbit hole!)

This series of posts is loosely organized around different themes to offer role players and writers prompts to consider as they develop characters. In this third set we move back into a character’s history; those formative events that shaped them.

For those developing role-playing characters, history ties into the world around your character. When answering these questions, consider the kind of places and events, and then work with your game master to put specific labels on them.

History

Where is your homeland?

What are its people like?

Are you aware of its history?

How do you view the heroes/legends of your country?

Where do you fall on the patriot / pariah spectrum?

What are your opinions of home?

Where is your home town?

What is your home town’s name?

What was the area like and how did it affect you?

Did you witness any historical events?

If so, how did that event impact you?

Are your real reasons for becoming an adventurer different from what you tell others?

If so, how might such secrets be revealed?

How far would you go to keep such secrets from being revealed?

What would you do if the truth became known?

What are you afraid would happen if the truth got out?

Do you have any strengths or weaknesses as a result of your past (particularly high or low ability scores)?

If so, were these scores a result of your past?

How have these scores affected your life so far?

How have they affected your chosen profession?

Did you grow up in a majority or minority for your species?

How were you treated by other nearby species?

Were you persecuted for your species?

How did this impact your outlook?

How has it affected your personality?

How do you feel about other species?

How does your character justify these views?

Were there any traumatic experiences in your early years? (death of a family member, abandonment, orphaned at an early age, etc.)

Briefly describe a defining moment in your childhood and how it influenced your life.

What was childhood like for you? (Calm, peaceful, turbulent, traumatic)

Did you have any childhood friends?

If so, who and where are they now?

Are you still close to them or have you grown apart?

What was the most foolhardy thing you did as a child?

Which toys from your childhood have you kept?

What do they mean to you?

If you didn’t keep any, what happened to them?

Do you have any deep, dark secrets in the past that may come back to haunt you?

This series of question-formatted posts is loosely organized around different themes offer role players and writers prompts to consider as they develop characters. In this second post, we take a look at physical traits, those things about a character that are generally (though not always) visible to onlookers, and their significance.

There is an implied ‘Why?’ after each question; elaborate as you feel appropriate!

How old are you?

What is your apparent sex?

What is your species/race?

How tall are you?

How much do you weigh?

What is your general body type, frame, bone structure, and poise?

What is your skin color?

What is your hair color?

What is your hair style?

Do you have any facial hair?

What is your eye color?

Does it change?

How attractive are you to other members of your species?

What is your most distinguishing feature?

Do you have any scars, tattoos, or birthmarks?

If so, how did you acquire them?

What do they look like?

Do they have any special significance?

Where are they located?

Describe your hands:

How big or small are they compared to average?

Do you have the normal (for your species) number? If not, what happened?

Are you left- or right-handed, or ambidextrous?

Do you resemble anyone famous (or infamous?)

Do you wear a uniform?

What kind of clothing do you wear?

How fancy / sophisticated is it?

Is it hard to find clothing that suits your preferences?

Do you wear makeup?

Do you wear glasses/contacts?

Do you get sick? (Catch the flu twice a year; catch anything that goes around)

This series of question-formatted posts is loosely organized around different themes offer role players and writers prompts to consider as they develop characters. In this first post, we take a look at introductory questions.

There is an implied ‘Why?’ after each question; elaborate as you feel appropriate!

Introductory Questions

Give a brief description of yourself, or describe your character concept in broad strokes.

Heya, thanks for dropping by, I appreciate it. This rebuild of my site is a project that will likely take a while. If you’re interested in what’s happening currently, I’m most active on Twitter @Gerret. That’s where I’m posting progress updates on various projects, including (at this writing) plate tectonics for my homebrew campaign, cultures for the starting area (hence the tectonics – I’m more of a top-down designer), a honkin’ city map for the first campaign arc, and a new planner system for general life organization.

As a thumbnail biography, I’m a learning professional by day, focusing on succession management, HR talent analytics, communication, and LMS administration; a father to 7 sons; a husband to the most amazing woman ever, (yes, of course I’m biased!); and we live on a few acres in southeast Michigan, with a sassy dog, a little rabbit, and a chicken coop full of free range chickens who are exceptionally well-cared-for.